When can I go fishing again at Ascarate Lake?

Last August, I responded to a viewer's complaint about what she called the lake’s deplorable condition and how children could no longer fish there.

I reported then that County Commissioner David Stout, who represents Ascarate Park, told me about the county's plan to improve the lake. That plan now appears to be coming to fruition.

As KFOX14 reported earlier this week, a group of UTEP students presented commissioners' court with a couple of options to prevent algae buildup in the lake. One or both of those solutions could be in place at the lake by this September.

One year ago at this time, we were reporting how algae had killed hundreds of fish in the lake, creating a foul-smelling mess.

But El Paso County now reports water in the lake has shown little evidence of the golden algae that devastated it last year. The county also announced this week it would restock the lake with 750 rainbow trout, provided by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. More trout are scheduled to be delivered to Ascarate next month.

So get your fishing poles ready. Regular fishing at the lake is scheduled to resume on Friday.